The best of news and research articles from publications nationwide, as selected by the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, updated weekly.

Medication, Education, and More

Extending Mental Health Coverage: What the House and Senate Have in Mind

Source: Psychiatric Times

CABF focuses its advocacy efforts on the following urgent needs:

• When  a Child has a Mental Illness
• Depressed Teens Sustain Gains From Long Term Treatment
• Mental Health Parity Rules Delayed Until January 2010

New York Times, June 8, 2008, Letter to the Editor regarding "Researchers Fail to Reveal Full Drug Pay" by Susan Resko, CABF Executive Director

A national coalition of parents, professionals and educators present tips and tools for educating state lawmakers about children’s mental health in America. Includes sample letters and fact sheets.

This article by Thomas Anders, former president of AACAP, seeks to articulate the importance of the various advocacy groups, professions, and consumer working together for the common purpose of educating the public regarding this illness and assisting nonprofessionals in dealing with the challenges of living with chronic mental illness.

CABF urges the FDA to ensure that significant funding be devoted to research in the use of psychotropic medications by children and adolescents. CABF further urges that the FDA ensure that children have access to medications for treatment.

Knowing your child’s educational rights is the foundation of educational advocacy.  Those parents who learn the basics of federal laws affecting their child’s education are better positioned to help their children than those who do not.  This doesn’t mean you have to memorize a lot of facts, but rather, understand how local school districts are bound by federal education law.